Ignite
by AbsentAngel
Summary: Puberty hits late and it hits hard. Natsu quickly learns that not even he can extinguish a fire when there is fuel to feed the flames. (NaLu)
1. Incipient

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"_She leaned forward and caught at his hand, pressing it between her own. The touch was like white fire through his veins. He could not feel her skin only the cloth of her gloves, and yet it did not matter. You kindled me, heap of ashes that I am, into fire. He had wondered once why love was always phrased in terms of burning. The conflagration in his own veins, now, gave the answer." _

_― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Princess_

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**(:)(A)(:)**

**Ignite**

**Chapter #1: Incipient**

**(:)(A)(:)**

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Looking back, Natsu couldn't really decide if it happened slowly or all at once. He certainly didn't just wake up one morning as a walking pile of hormones - _that_ little development had taken at least a good month. But he could remember the exact moment that he realized Lucy had some strange power over him. Some kind of dangerous magic that made him feel … things.

Things that should _not_ come out because of his best friend - or for anyone for that matter. He could really live without all of the pent up sexual frustration it was causing. In fact, he had made it many, many years - happy years - without it. So he wasn't so convinced that this whole 'becoming a man' business was the great thing that everyone was making it out to be. It was changing everything he knew and loved. It was changing him and it was dangerously close to changing his partnership with Lucy.

Natsu didn't like change. Especially when said changes made it hard to even look at his blond friend without wanting to pin her to the stupid wall. Or the bar. Or that table over there in the corner where no one ever really sat. Or -

It was down right stupid.

He had seen her naked - _felt_ her naked - and it hadn't brought out these feelings. But a few light, innocent touches across his back and shoulders and suddenly he was burning. Leave it to Lucy to somehow ignite this - this _thing_ inside of him without even trying. Without even knowing.

They had gone on a mission to take down a sand mage, just the three of them, so that Lucy would quit fretting over her rent money. Splitting the jewels two ways (because Happy was more than content to just live off of his) was a heck of a lot better than four. Sandy was tough, sure, but he was in no way a match for a Fairy Tail wizard. Lucy could have probably managed to knock him out on her own really. She had gotten so much stronger through the years. Together, the guy didn't even stand a chance. Still, the asshole was smart enough (or stupid enough) to target Lucy first in order to get her spirits off his back. He had made use of several of the towns windows (because apparently glass was made out of sand of all things – who knew?) and sent their broken, cutting edges towards Lucy with a single taunting, _knowing_, grin directed solely the dragon slayer.

That really, _really_ pissed Natsu off.

Luckily, the he had a handy habit of turning rage into power and (in this case) speed. Getting in front of Lucy in time to shield her hadn't been a problem, unfortunately his back paid the price for it. But it was better to have those little shards imbedded in his back than to have them ripping her apart. His skin was tougher than hers ever would be. It was just another perk of his dragon slayer magic, and the moment he pulled away to see Lucy safe and unscathed in his arms he sent a silent thank you to Igneel for teaching him before pulverizing the (now quaking) sand mage.

After they had promptly collected their reward (the damage blamed on the freaking criminal for once) they had promptly checked into a hotel at Lucy's insistence. She wanted to wait and head out first thing in the morning so that they could return to Magnolia just before night fall. He didn't think he'd ever really understand her reluctance to travel in the dark but then again she was weird like that. Happy had quickly abandoned them when the receptionist had casually mentioned that the lake just outside of town was famous for its fishing. Natsu almost went with him but Lucy's stern glare had promptly laid those plans to rest. Apparently it wasn't ok to just let the glass in his back work itself out (Lucy insisted that it would only work its way farther _into_ his skin but he disagreed).

And so he had ended up face down on his traveling futon (because hey, why pay for two rooms when he had carried a mattress on his back?) with his shredded vest acting as a pillow for his chin to rest on while Lucy's hands slowly tore away at the world he knew. The moment he felt her fingertips brushing against the ridge of his shoulders and down his spine in what was an innocent examination of the damaged flesh, he began to feel something. She was unwittingly stoking a fire that was slowly growing in his gut and setting his nerves aflame in a way that he had never, in all his experience with heat and flames, felt.

It was confusing. Above him, Lucy grumbled about a particularly stubborn piece of glass along his rib but he was too busy wondering what the sensations simmering under his skin meant to really pay attention to the words.

He wasn't completely stupid. He had gotten his lesson about the 'birds and the bees' like the rest of the guild children. So he knew how that whole baby making thing worked and, judging by the little tidbits of conversation he heard on the matter, knew it was supposedly enjoyable. Natsu had just never really felt the need or the desire because really, the whole thing just sounded more awkward than fun.

No one had said anything about the coil of heat that was curling in his lower stomach though - or the _fever._ Natsu rarely felt hot but suddenly he felt like he was burning in his very own skin. He wanted something, but he wasn't really sure what. The only thing he really did know what that whatever it was that Lucy was doing to him felt – good. Really good. _Dangerously _good.

"Natsu, you're burning up..." Lucy's voice pulled him from his trance. He turned his head to look at her and was greeted by her worried expression. Her chocolate eyes swimming with concern. "Are you ok? Does it hurt?"

He didn't know. Everything felt different and he wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing. But instead of saying that he plastered on a grin, "Of course! Just tired." He wasn't of course, his body was thrumming with energy but telling her that her hands were making him feel like he was on fire seemed like a good way to get the crap beat out of him. "Are you almost done?"

Please, please be done. Who knew what other strange reactions he would have if she stayed? If she kept touching him?

The little worried frown still pulled at her mouth but she removed her hand from his bare shoulder with a nod. "Yeah. Yeah I'm done," she mumbled, releasing him from her searching gaze as she gracefully rose from the floor. "Just let me get grab a towel from the bathroom to wipe up the rest of the blood." Her knees were blotched red from how long she'd been kneeling over him, the skin indented by the cracks in the floor, and Natsu felt a sharp twinge of guilt pierce through the ring of hormonal fire he had unwittingly found himself surrounded by.

"Lucy?" Her name escaped his lips before he could really stop it. When she turned back to look at him he faltered, because he had said her name like a question but he wasn't really sure what he was _asking_. Probably a combination of _'what just happened'_ and _'what have you done to me'. _

Andwith an emphasized _'what am I suppose to do now?'_

Her head tilted, little hints of concern still hiding in her brow. "What is it Natsu?"

Crap. Had his name always sounded like that when she said it? He gulped. "Uh, just, thanks." He could feel the heat that had been burning across his body suddenly spread across his cheeks. "You know. For patching me up, and stuff."

Her cheeks tinted adorably (since when was that adorable?) and she rewarded him with a pleased smile. "You're welcome. Anything for a friend, right?"

He nodded. Right, anything for a friend. Except, he wasn't so sure he would have wanted anyone else to do this for him. He's almost positive if it had been someone else he wouldn't be feeling like the futon was going to burst into flames right under him. What did that _mean_?

Moments later, as she was carefully dabbing the wet cloth against his skin, the coolness of it sliding against his overly heated flesh, Natsu realized what had made these touches so different from all the others she had given him in the past. She had been so gentle, her ministrations so tender and full of care. Lucy had never touched him like that. No one had ever touched him like that.

_What did it **mean**_?

When she finished he was both relieved and, deep inside in a place he really didn't want to evaluate, a bit disappointed. It was over, his body temperature was slowly returning to normal and soon Happy would be back with a bulging stomach full of fish and everything would be normal again. Surely things would go back to the way they were before and he'd never have to think about the heat her fingers drew out from him ever again.

Obviously, he had been entirely too optimistic. Three months later and the heat was only escalating in temperature and the things that brought it out were quickly becoming more and more trivial. Now, if he stared at her for too long, even just the curve of her smile could set his body on fire. He was pretty sure if she touched him like that again he would probably combust from the inside out and fall around her like ash.

Apparently there were some flames that not even ancient fire magic could control.

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**AN:** So I've watched the first season of Fairy Tail and have have become a NaLu fan pretty much over night.

I'm posting this as a one shot but I may decide to continue it depending on reader response. I know there's probably a million other fics like this one but I just had to try my hand at it. :) Gotta write what comes to you right?

If this does become a chapter fic, just be aware that the rating will probably change to 'M'.

Thanks for reading and please take the time to leave a review on what you thought!

**Update 7/16: This will be a chapter story after all - three chapters are already drafted (not in sequential order, but hey). Man that NaLu bug bites hard. Thanks for all the people who have reviewed and supported a continuation because guess what? **

**You're getting it. **

**:)**


	2. Smoke

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"_Love is a feel-good feeling, like feeling a cat's fur while my hair is on fire and my grandpa is reciting the pledge of allegiance while staring at my star-spangle-bannered boxers. " _

― _Jarod Kintz, My love can only occupy one person at a time_

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**(:)(A)(:)**

**Ignite**

**Chapter #2: Smoke**

**(:)A(:)**

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Natsu's nose picked up on a lot more than he let his guild mates know. It wasn't so much that he was embarrassed about it, but he had come to realize that certain things were sometimes better left unsaid. Besides, he had grown up with his heightened sense of smell, so really it was just a normal thing for him to be able to smell the slight changes that anyone else would be immune to.

He could tell what was being served at the guild before he even came within a few blocks of the building. And it was only a matter of a quick sniff to tell if that sneeze the person to his left had just emitted was due to dust or the start of a nasty cold. A single drop of blood could be spilled in a sea of people and Natsu would be able to not only smell it, but also recognize whose it was. And he knew, like second nature, to heed the warning in a women's scent when their bodies were preparing for _that _time.

Erza and Lucy would no doubt maim and murder him if they found out exactly how much he knew about their bodies, but it really wasn't his fault. Telling him not to smell was like telling a normal person not to see.

It hadn't been a problem before, really. He tried to use the information to his advantage (though he admittedly forgot sometimes). When the warning came in Erza's scent he tried to steer as far away from her as possible. If that wasn't an option then he made a valiant effort not to do, or say, or even breath anything that might set her off. When her 'rage stage' (as he so fondly called it) was over and he could sense her discomfort he would try to nudge Mira into getting the volatile mage something sweet. It didn't usually take much - Mira was pretty observant like that. A simple, "Man, Erza sure seems like she's in a mood today" or "Wow, I really wouldn't want to be that fork right now" usually did the trick.

With Lucy it was a bit easier. At least the influx of hormones didn't bring out any homicidal or destructive tendencies. She got more sensitive than anything else. Things that she would usually brush off seemed to make her flinch and sometimes his and Happy's goofy antics would bring an annoyed scowl to her face instead of a smile. Every now and then he would forget and do something to push her too far and was given one of her infamous 'Lucy kicks' for his trouble. Overall though, Lucy was mostly herself. Heaven help the man (Jellal if the universe had any sense of justice) that ended up with Erza.

Of course, it wasn't so much the 'rage stage' that had been giving him problems lately.

He was avoiding Lucy.

Not outright mind you, but just for those few days out of the month when her scent spiked and being around her did dangerous things to his self control. He wasn't really sure what the occurrence was called in human standards. Maybe there wasn't even a word for it, but in animals he had heard it being referred to as 'in heat'. Natsu thought that term made perfect sense considering that being around Lucy around that time had the nasty habit of sending his body temperature through the roof.

Lucy had always smelled good. He had noticed that little fact the moment he had met her. When she didn't douse herself in that confusing concoction of floral perfumes her scent was sweet with just the right amount of smoky spice to make it interesting. It fit her and he enjoyed it even if she didn't seem to. The days she actually smelled like herself were few and far between thanks to that stupid perfume she always wore. Those few days a month though - she could probably bath in the sickly sweet substance and he would _still_ be able to smell her. It overwhelmed everything, including him.

It happened with all the girls - the spike that is. But it had never really bothered him before. It was just like seeing an advertisement or a flyer on a passing building. You noticed it and then you moved on. No big deal. Except ever since Lucy had ran her fingers down his back and lit this **thing** inside him, her scent was less like a flyer and more like the whole damn building - complete with large flashing arrows and a welcome sign that said '_Come On In_'.

Outside it was tolerable, more muted, as long as he kept a safe distance. But indoors, even in large open spaces like the guild hall, there was no escaping it. It made his pulse jump and his hands go clammy, sometimes he could even feel his face flush. It lured him with its warmth and filled his mind with fragmented images that he was sure Lucy would _not_ approve of. He didn't really approve of them either. They were best friends - partners. Wondering what her skin might feel like, might _taste_ like, seemed more than a little awkward. And something deep in his gut told him that if he ever acted on these urges -these curiosities - then everything they had together would be gone for good.

But damn if she didn't make it hard for him.

In those moments when he couldn't escape he found himself fighting the impulse to reach out and touch her. Sometimes it was just the innocent holding of her hand that he craved. Other times (_most_ of the time) he felt the crazy need to touch every last inch of her skin and cover her in his own scent. Which was stupid and so backwards that it made the compulsion even more irritating. Why would he want to make her smell like him when he enjoyed the smell of _Lucy?_ It was annoying enough whenever someone else touched her and left behind their signature scent, why the hell would he want to be one of them?

Stupid. It was all so damn embarrassingly stupid.

"Natsu!"

Crap.

His body froze mid step, but his head was already turning to find her. She looked ... nice. Then again he wasn't sure there was ever a time Lucy didn't. He swallowed thickly, forcing his eyes to stay on her face and not evaluate how much of her thighs her shorts were showing off or how low that scoop necked t-shirt was on her breasts.

"H-hey Lucy!" He tried not to flinch when he stuttered. Fairy Tail women, while lacking his sense of smell, seemed to have the innate ability to sense his fear. On the bright side, at least they were alone in the entry of the guild hall. On the not so bright side ... well, he was alone with Lucy in the guild hall.

Shit.

"I've been looking for you!" she exclaimed, sending him an exasperated smile as she stopped in front of him, "Where have you been?"

"Uh," she was way too close, her scent was making him dizzy. Just, maybe if he didn't breath so much. Yeah, good plan. "You know, around."

A confused frown tugged at her lips and she tilted her head as she examined him. "Are you holding your breath?" There was a dangerous edge to her voice that clearly told him that his answer could easily earn him a slap.

Damn, she noticed? He gulped, scratching the back of his neck and awkwardly laughing. "Ah, no. Not at all!" He took a step back and focused breathing through his mouth instead but crap she was still too close. He could taste her scent on his tongue.

Obviously his acting skills needed a little work because her eyes narrowed and her hands perched self righteously on her hips. Those deliciously curved - No. No thinking about her hips. Or her boobs. Even though the way she was leaning angrily towards him gave him the best view of her supple - damn it! "You **are**! What?! Do I smell or something?"

He blinked. "Well, yeah." Of course she did, what kind of question was that? Everyone had a smell.

She looked taken aback, and suddenly her face was cherry red. "I do?!" she squeaked, taking an embarrassed step away from him before wrapping her arms around herself self consciously (which of course only made a harder for him to keep from staring at her breasts).

Realization hit him like a ton of bricks and, flustered (because damn it he had made her doubt herself), he exclaimed, "Not like that you weirdo!"

He shouldn't have said that. _Why_ did he say that?! He should have just played it off as a joke! She wasn't in 'rage stage' so maybe he would have even gotten away with out her fist slamming into his face.

Blinking, her embarrassment slowly faded until the only evidence that it was ever even there was the rosy flush across the apples of her cheeks. There was a blatant question in her eyes that not even Natsu, in all his habitual cluelessness, could ignore.

"Uh," he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, not surprised to find it hot. His whole stupid face was probably hot enough to cook on. "That is, you always smell. You're just a little smellier today."

Her left eye twitched dangerously and he hastily back tracked. "Uh, no! Still not what I meant!" He brought his hand to his face and groaned, wishing she could just hurry up and summon Virgo to bury him right then and there. When had talking to Lucy become so hard? "You smell ... nice. It's just stronger today," he forced out, the words partially mumbled by his hand.

A moment passed and then, "Oh."

Damn it, if his face heated up anymore his whole freaking head was going to catch on fire. "Yeah."

"What," she paused and Natsu could practically feel her fidgeting in front of him, "What do I smell like?"

Startled, his hand dropped from his face. "Uh, it's kind of hard to explain." It was. It was _really_ hard to explain. Describing scent was like describing color to a person who couldn't see. Maybe a writer like Lucy had that kind of skill with words but he was just Natsu. Words weren't his thing, he spoke a language of actions and even then he wasn't really all that fluent.

Lucy's voice was soft, her fingers reaching up to tuck a lock of golden hair behind her ear. "Oh, ok then. I understand." Was it him or did she seem almost ... disappointed? She gave him a little smile that didn't quite meet her eyes and somehow it made his chest twinge painfully. Yeah, definitely disappointed. "Well, I'll see you later then."

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

"Honey," he blurted, the single word successfully stopping the celestial mage in her tracks. She turned around, her eyes wide and curious as she regarded him thoughtfully. He had said it without really thinking but ... it fit. She did kind of smell like honey. Honey and something warm, something smoky - "And cinnamon," he added, crossing his arms over his chest and fighting (and failing) to keep the heat from his cheeks. He glared at the floor so he wouldn't have to look at her face as he made a complete and utter fool of himself. "And, you know, other stuff."

For a long moment she was completely silent and Natsu began to feel irritated with himself. What the hell was he thinking? Honey and cinnamon? And other stuff? Crap he was such an idiot. Like she would even understand -

"A campfire."

His head snapped up at her odd response. Was that her weird way of saying she wanted to roast him over a fire or something for being such an idiot? No ... couldn't be. She was smiling at him, a real on this time - the kind that made her eyes look just a little bit warmer. "I've always thought you smelled kinda like a campfire." She leaned back on her heels, her hands crossed behind her as she sent him a teasing wink. "And other stuff."

Maybe she understood more than he thought.

He grinned, the force of it nearly splitting his cheeks. "A really big campfire?"

She laughed, the sound bouncing of the walls and filling his heart with warmth. "The biggest."

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**AN: **I'm hoping Natsu is still seeming in character (please let me know if he isn't). It's a bit a struggle to balance his innocence with the new feelings he's encountering.

Someone has asked where in the series this is taking place, To tell you the truth I'm kinda keeping it vague for my own sanity. I'm on episode 100 of the anime, but I want to keep it vague enough to where I can have the freedom to play off of anything that happens while I continue watching. So, basically, be patient with me!

Thank you for all the kind reviews! They definately pushed me to get this chapter out to you sooner. :)

Please continue to tell me your thoughts! As a new NaLu fanatic I'm pretty much desperate for approval (really, it's kind of embarressing).

(Also, the cover art is my own so if you feel the need to use it please just give credit where credit is due. Please and thank you!)


	3. Spark

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"_A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark."_

_-Dante Alighieri_

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**(:)(A)(:)**

**Ignite**

**Chapter #3: Spark**

**(:)(A)(:)**

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He really didn't like that smirk that Gray gave him when the ice mage decided to occupy the seat next to him. It looked way too smug and held the promise of endless teasing. However, when several moments passed and the ice mage had merely nursed his frosted glass, Natsu allowed himself to relax.

He should have known better.

"Honey and cinnamon huh? Gotta give you points for originality."

Natsu's face flamed, a look of horror and embarrassment (and horror) dominating his features. "What?" He wheezed, trying to play it off as bafflement instead of the very real panic he was feeling. "What are you talking about?" That's right, if he just denied everything then maybe it would all go away.

Gray chuckled, sipping on his drink - whiskey judging by the smell. "Don't play stupid. The whole guild knows about it by now." He slanted the dragon slayer a look that clearly said he was enjoying every ounce of Natsu's discomfort. "Next time you decide to go all lovey dovey you should make sure Mira isn't in hearing range."

No.

Not Mira.

Shit that meant the entire guild probably _did_ know. _That's_ why everyone was giving him that creepy smile for the past few days! "I-it wasn't like that!" he sputtered, "I was just answering her question!" He knew the embarrassed flush he could feel warming his cheeks was _not_ helping his case. Thank Mavis Happy was on the other side of the hall chatting up Charle, his blue buddy would never let him hear the end of it. As it was, he could still hear the cat's drawn out 'you _liiiiiiike_ her' bouncing around his skull.

"Sure," Gray drawled, "Whatever you say Flame Brain." His grin turned down right teasing. "Just make sure you pop some major breath mints before you go shoving your tongue down her throat."

Natsu wrinkled his nose, deciding to ignore the jab for now and focus on the more important question that was suddenly plaguing his brain with incredibly awkward visuals. "Why would I want to stick my tongue down her throat?" Seriously, that just sounded uncomfortable. And awkward. Was that even physically possible? He didn't think his tongue was that long ...

The ice mage's amused chuckle quickly fell into a blank, almost disappointed stare. "Wait, you're serious?" When the dragon slayer's expression remained the same, Gray groaned. "Dude. You seriously need to get laid."

Embarressed and still confused (because damn it who in their right mind would find getting a tongue getting shoved down their throat arousing?) the demon slayer snapped, "Shut up!" Natsu pointed at the ice mage accusingly. "It's not like you would know anyway!"

The cool, collected look quickly slipped off Gray's face. "Of course I do!"

Natsu snorted, leaning his cheek on his fist as he turned the table on his icy friend with vindictive pleasure. "Liar! I'd know if you were!" He pointed at his nose cockily. "The nose _knows_."

Gray glowered at him. "You know that's totally disgusting right?"

"Is not!" The dragon slayer bristled. "You're just jealous of my mad skills!"

"Why the hell would I be jealous of that!" He sputtered, slamming his glass on the bar. Some of his whiskey sloshed over the rim and onto the lacquered surface.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Natsu leaned back in his chair. "Because. I know stuff _you don't_."

"Whatever," he sneered, but his eyebrow was still exhibiting an aggravated tick. "What good is knowing who's screwed each other if you don't even know what it's like to kiss a girl?"

Before he could come up with a scathing retort, Mirajane piped up from behind the bar, all innocent curiosity. "What are you guys talking about?" Natsu glowered at her, intent on telling her exactly how displeased he was with the rumor she'd been fueling when Gray beat him to it.

"Apparently Natsu's super nose can tell who's been screwing with who." There was a sadistic smile on Gray's face, one that promised ill-gotten revenge.

Mira's pale hands suddenly paused in drying the beer mug and Natsu decided that he definitely did _not _like the conniving look in her eye. "Is that so?" she asked, voice so sugary sweet it made his teeth ache.

Swallowing the bundle of nervous energy that had magically congealed in the back of his throat, Natsu scratched the back of his head in hopes of faking some sense of composure. "U-uh, yeah. That's right."

She set the neglected mug on the counter and leaned forward, her eyes glinting dangerously. "Spill."

"W-what?!" He couldn't do that! The guild would murder him. Besides, it wasn't any one's business but their - wait. He blinked and took another deep breath to confirm before his face twisted in distaste. The smell of lightening and molten earth (and other stuff that did _**not**_ belong to Mirajane) was covering her like a second skin."Gross! Since when did you and -"

Her hand immediately slapped over his mouth, successfully cutting him off. The demonic energy that swirled around her and sharpened her eyes into barely concealed threats made a shiver race down his spine. "Not. One. More. Word." Nodding enthusiastically, because he wasn't a _moron_, she promptly removed her hand and sighed. Grabbing her dish towel she gave him a pointed look. "We _will_ continue this conversation later."

Gray, suddenly seeing some merit to Natsu's special super power, looked between the two of them. "Wait!" He looked at the dragon slayer with an annoyed frown. "What the hell were you about to say!?"

A withering glance from Mira made him shrink in his chair. "Uh ... I forgot?"

The pale haired woman gave an approving smile. "Smart boy." If he pretended that she didn't just praise him like a dog, Natsu could almost take that as a compliment.

Gray rolled his eyes, apparently unwilling to put any more energy into hearing the juicy bit of gossip. Still, Natsu could see the curiosity still lingered in his gaze as the ice mage eyed the beautiful bartender thoughtfully and it made the pink haired man smirk. Maybe that would teach Frosty a lesson or two about calling his sense of smell 'disgusting'.

Mira smiled sweetly, her hands once again busying themselves with glassware before someone at the other end of the bar called her over. With one parting (warning) look at Natsu, she chimed "Coming!" before leaving the two mages to their own devices.

Before either of them could start another fight, Natsu heard the guild door open and immediately turned to investigate in hopes of finding a golden haired celestial mage in the doorway. He wasn't disappointed.

The first thing he noticed was that she seemed to be in a good mood, all bright smiles and happy waves as she made her way between tables and to the bar. The second thing he noticed was that she hadn't worn any perfume, the scent that wafted off her was all Lucy - that honey, cinnamon, and other stuff that had quickly become ammunition against him. Still, for some reason it made him happy despite the hell it had caused him earlier.

The third thing was the most baffling. She was wearing a strapless white summer dress that had a yellow satin tie cinching around her waist and drew even more attention to how curvy her body was. Her hair was hanging loose around her shoulders instead of the pigtails that had been her hairstyle of choice recently. A silver bracelet was shimmering on her wrist and, looking closer, Natsu realized that it matched the dangled earrings that were peaking behind her hair. She didn't usually wear that kind of stuff. Not to the guild hall anyway. She definitely didn't normally wear her nice jewelry."Hey Natsu! Gray!" She plopped herself in the seat on the other side of him, the one that had kinda unofficially been proclaimed as hers. "So..." she drawled, sweet and full of implication. "You guys wanna go on a mission with me?"

Gray chuckled. "Let me guess. You need rent money?"

Lucy gave a sheepish grin to save face from the mortifying desperation she was no doubt feeling. "That... might have something to do with it."

"Happy and I will go with you, Luce!" Natsu exclaimed. It seemed like it had been forever since they took a good mission. Forever being three weeks ago, when they had gone up against that sand mage and Lucy had run her hand-

Right. Best not to think about that right now.

Gray's smooth voice filled his ears. "Sorry Lucy, think I'll pass this time." The ice mage sent him that same teasing look he had come in with, "I'm sure you two will be just fine on your own."

Natsu immediately frowned, "But there's three of us." Seriously, did he have icicles in his ears or something? He had just said Happy would come too.

Gray looked at him for a moment, and the dragon slayer got the sense that the dark haired man had completely given up on him. Though what he had failed at completely escaped him. "Right ... " He nodded to the eldest Strauss sibling toward the other end of the bar. "Hey, Mira?" When he got the pretty blue eyed mage's attention he held up his empty glass. "Mind serving me another? And maybe ten more after that?"

Lucy shot the dark haired male an annoyed look that Natsu didn't understand. A moment later she was shaking her head and turning her attention back to the dragon slayer. "Well, I'll go ask Erza if she wants to come -"

"No!" Natsu voiced, on the verge of panic. The last thing he needed was to be traveling with Erza when she was in full blown rage stage. The temperamental red head would no doubt maim him at least once over if they were forced together for so long.

Lucy frowned. "Why?"

Luckily the ice mage answered for him, with words that were a lot more eloquently put than his own would have been. "Er, she's in a bit of a mood. Might want to just steer clear," Gray answered in a lowered voice. It was true enough. She had nearly decapitated Elfman for bumping into her earlier that morning and Natsu suspected that no amount of strawberry cake would curb her homicidal tendencies this time around.

"Oh," the blondes eyes quickly landed on the scarlet haired woman across the hall before frowning sympathetically. "Must be that time ..." she mumbled, too low for the ice mage or anyone else to have heard but loud enough for Natsu to have picked it up quite clearly.

He almost choked on his own spit.

How the hell did women know that kind of stuff without smell?

"Ok," she chirped, suddenly all smiles. "I guess it will just be the three of us again, eh Natsu? I already got the perfect mission for us!" He opened his mouth to complain, because there had been a posting that had looked really cool, but she cut him off with a sharp glare. "Don't even Natsu! You said I could choose the next one! Remember? You promised!"

Crap. He forgot about that. Well, a promise was a promise ... but still. "Damn it." Maybe he could convince her to take the one he wanted? "Well, did you see that one posting for the giant spider extermination? That would be a really awesome one, don't you think?" Way awesome. Like, giant-spider-on-**fire** awesome.

She gave him a level look that clearly said she wasn't the least bit impressed with his attempt to convince her. "No. That actually sounds completely aweful.

"Fine," he whined. That spider mission had sounded super fun, he wasn't sure why Lucy didn't see the appeal. "Let me just go grab Happy and we can head out."

"No!" she said quickly, voice a bit louder than she intended judging by the way she quickly shrank under all the stares she was suddenly getting. "Um, that is, tonight isn't good for me. How about tomorrow morning instead? That will give us plenty of time to pack and, you know, pack."

Natsu tilted his head, watching her curiously. Why was her face turning all red? "Ok, sure. Happy and I will come grab you in the morning then."

She smiled brightly at him. "Sounds great! I figure we can catch the 10:30 train, so be at my place at 10 ok?"

His curiosity towards her changing complexion vanished the moment his turned unnaturally green. "The _train_?! Why does there have to be a train? We can just walk!"

"Nope," she chirped, "My mission. My way. We are taking the train." She glanced at the clock and, before Natsu could even attempt to change her mind, gasped. "Shoot! I gotta go!" She gave him a wave, already making her way to the exit. "See you tomorrow Natsu! Don't be late!"

Mira, arriving with Gray's whiskey, giggled as she watched the blonde leave and close the door behind her. "Well doesn't she just look adorable? I bet she has a date tonight!"

His head snapped to look a the the take over mage, confusion written all over his face. "Date?" Natsu echoed, the word tasting unusually bitter on his tongue. Was that why she didn't want to leave until tomorrow? But, why would Lucy want to go on a stupid date with some guy instead of going on a mission with him and Happy?

An, increasingly familiar, gleam was sharpening Gray's eyes. "Wow, good for her." He casually swirled the amber liquid in his glass. "Wonder if she'll kiss the guy?"

_Kiss?_

Mirajane, either completely oblivious or totally in on the ice mage's deliberate attempt to get under Natsu's skin, sighed. "That _would_ be romantic, wouldn't it?"

Somehow, the thought of shoving his tongue down Lucy's throat wasn't quite so unappealing anymore. The thought of someone else's mouth any where near her lips, her skin, made his stomach turn uncomfortably for the rest of the day. When Happy asked about it, Natsu lied and said it must have been a bad fish.

* * *

**AN:** I've been so inspired by all you're lovely reviews that I decided to release this one a bit earlier than I originally intended. Everyone has been so very supportive and encouraging!

I already have a lot of chapters started, and it looks like we will be looking at around 16-20 chapters total. It will have two parts: this first part is geared towards Natsu's perpective and the second will be geared towards Lucy's. I have a couple other ideas for some AU NaLu too that have been started (that have no guarantee of going anywhere so please don't get your hopes up). Once I get a clearer idea of where I want them to go (and _if_ I want them to go) I will be sure to let you know.

I also want to just make a little side note about the whole "shoving his tongue down her throat" thing. Just to be clear, Natsu knows about french kissing. He is just oblivious that when Gray says to "shove his tongue down her throat" he doesn't mean it in a literal sense. Because really, if you think about it in a literal sense the whole thing would be kinda awkward. Lol.

As always, please tell me what you think!


	4. Flash Point

.

_._

_"She had fire in her soul, it was easy to see_

_How the devil himself could be pulled out of me._

_There were drums in the air as she started to dance,_

_Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands._

_And we sang 'ay oh ay oh ay oh ay',_

_And the voices rang like the angels sing._

_And singin' 'ay oh ay oh ay oh ay',_

_And we danced on into the night"_

_-Santana, "Into the Night"_

* * *

**(:)(A)(:)**

**Ignite**

**Chapter #4: Flash Point**

**(:)(A)(:)**

* * *

Natsu let out a loud, satisfied belch and patted his stomach. "Damn, that was good!" He had to hand it to Lucy, she had picked a pretty cool mission after all. Not every day he got to eat lava fire and get paid for it. He could almost forgive her for the three hour train ride...

Not so much the sixteen hour boat ride though. She'd be paying him back for that for the rest of her life. Even if the reward for saving the village at the base of the volcano was seven hundred thousand jewel (apparently exotic fruit was big business and the island's inhabitants had cashed in) and the mission was practically made for him.

Hovering next to him, Happy cheered. "Yeah! Take that you stupid lava!" The blackened rock, still warm but devoid of any flames, remained silent. One quick glance to the other side of the active volcano showed similar results but with clouds of vapor hovering over the slumbering magma. Lucy must have been able to convince Aquarius to help her out after all. Maybe summoning her with that holy water the tribe offered had actually curbed the spirit's destructive tendencies toward his blonde partner for once.

Natsu sent his furry blue friend a grin. "We showed it! Now I've got -"

"A fire in your belly?" Lucy finished for him, rolling her eyes in exasperation. Still, there was a little smile playing at the corner of her mouth as she crossed her arms under her chest and cocked a hip. "You know, you use that line _every_ time."

Happy and him shared a look, neither of them really sure what the problem was. "But it's a good line," they echoed, completely flabergasted.

She gave them a bright smile, full of amusement and waved a hand flippantly. "Yeah, yeah. Lets just get off this mountain. You might have just had a meal fit for a king but I'm starving!"

"Oooh! Do you think they'll have fish?!" Happy, always a traitor for fish, immediately brightened.

Laughing, Lucy carefully made her way down the rocky slope. Pebbles rolled down in a jumbled symphony of clicks and clacks. "Well, we _are_ on an island so I'm willing to bet they'll have some fish for you. But we won't find out until we get there right?"

With an exuberant cry of pure, undiluted, joy, the Exceed flew ahead of them and left the two mages to find their own way back. Natsu smiled, hands laced behind his head. Happy always did love fish. He was about to comment to Lucy when he saw her foot slip on the pebbled rocks. Immediately he was grasping her elbow to steady her. "Wow Luce, you really are clumsy."

She frowned up at him, her feet once again gaining purchase and righting herself up. "It's not my fault! There's too many stupid rocks," she grumbled, and Natsu tried to keep himself from admiring how cute she was when she pouted. "I hate mountains. They're hard to climb up and they're hard to climb down. It's like, a lose lose."

He chuckled, his hands still hovering over her as she took another step down. Last thing he needed was to be chasing a pissed off Lucy down the mountain. "Are you sure it's the mountains fault? You didn't exactly wear good shoes." True story there. Lucy had decided to scale the mountainside in a pair of flimsy sandals. Her feet and calves were blackened with ash from the volcanic rock.

She shot him a dark look and he laughed nervously. "Right. Mountains fault. Got it."

Nodding in approval, she took another step and ended up sliding forward a foot, her free arm waving wildly to keep her balance while the other gripped his forearm. "Uhg! This is going to take forever!"

Natsu agreed. At this pace they wouldn't get back to the village until morning. If Happy hadn't been so eager, the dragon slayer would have just had him fly Lucy down while he ran behind. Putting pressure on her arm to stop her descent, Natsu offered her his back. "Hop on. It'll be faster if I carry you."

"I can't do that!" she screeched, and Natsu looked over his shoulder to see a flush spreading across her cheeks and down her neck. He frowned, confused by her reaction.

"Why not?"

She crossed her arms under her chest, looking away from him in embarrassment. "B-because! I'm wearing a skirt!" She sputtered.

Oh.

His eyes trailed down her body with out his permission, landing on the tight jean skirt that didn't even manage to reach mid thigh. Right, definately wouldn't be able to carry her on his back then. Not without having her creamy thighs exposed to, not only the rest of the world, but his hands as well. He swallowed thickly, and he was sure his own blush was probably dusting across his cheeks.

Piggy back was defiantly a really bad idea.

"Oh," he mumbled, ducking his heated face into his scarf to hide his embarrassment as he dropped his hands limply to his sides, "Right." Well, crap. That idea was out. Still, he eyed his blonde companion thoughtfully, just because he shouldn't carry her on his back didn't mean that he shouldn't carry her at all.

She was tucking a lock of hair, the one that remained too stubbornly short to ever stay in her pigtails, behind her ear and glancing down the steep incline with a bit of trepidation when the thought came to him. Before she could protest (because he just somehow knew she _would_ protest) he swept her up, one arm wrapping around her shoulders and the other hooking beneath her knees, and tried not to be too pleased by her startled yelp. Or by the way her hands immediately clutched the fabric of his shirt. He couldn't stop the bright smile that split his cheeks as he looked down at her flushed cheeks.

"N-Natsu?" Mavis, the way her voice squeaked when she was embarrassed was adorable. "What are you doing?!"

"I'll just carry you this way," he declared, shifting her in his arms so that she would be more secure. "You said you were starving right?" When she nodded, her chocolate eyes still wide and trained on his, his smile widened. "Then just hold on! I'll get us there in no time!"

Her answering squeal as he took off down the mountainside was muffled by his scarf as she buried her face in his neck. Her hands fisted in the fabric of his shirt with such force he wouldn't be surprised if the fabric failed before her stronghold. He was pretty sure he heard her mumble something like 'idiot' but he only laughed, enjoying the feel of the wind in his face as he barreled over the cooled lava rock. It wasn't nearly as exciting as flying with Happy, but with Lucy warm in his arms it was a different type of thrill.

He made it to the small village in what felt like mere minutes (but was closer to an hour) and skidded to a halt in front of the main gate, his breathing only slightly more labored than normal and his body flushed. Almost immediately, the villagers began filing out and the pair was quickly surrounded by a sea of tan skin and the deep red cloth that seemed to be the tribe's signature color. They cheered loudly, offering their praises freely and exuberantly. Happy must have already informed them of their success. No doubt the Exceed was already stuffing his stomach full of the villager's fish."See Lucy?!" he exclaimed, smiling brightly down at the blonde as he unhooked her knees and helped her stand, "that was way quicker than if you had walked!"

She gave him a flustered smile, her legs shaky underneath her and her strong grip leaving imprints on his shoulder. "Yeah ..." She grimaced, a pained hiss pushing passed her teeth as she took a tentative step forward.

He frowned, his hands instantly supporting her by her arms. "Luce?"

She waved him off, a strained laugh passing her lips. "I'm fine! My legs just fell asleep on the way here." She gave him soft smile that he knew was meant to ease his nerves. "They're just waking up now is all. I'll be fine in a few minutes."

Still concerned, but overall relieved by her explanation, Natsu was about to offer to carry her to somewhere she could lay down when the crowd around them parted for their chief.

"Well done, wizards of Fairy Tail!" his voice boomed, towering over the two mages. He was a well built man, rivaling Elfman's brute stature, but the braided white hair that fell past his shoulders was due to age instead of genetics. He must have been one hell of a warrior, because there were battle scars criss crossing his bare chest. Natsu suspected that there would be even more hidden under the red cloak hiding his back and shoulders.

With a large hand, Chief Something-Natsu-Couldn't-Even-Hope-To-Pronounce waved a group of ten or so women over, speaking to them in the tribes lilting dialect before turning back to them, his eyes lingering on Lucy. "Yalani and the others will help you with whatever you need, Lucy of Fairy Tail. I'm sure you wish to freshen up before the festivities."

The dragon slayer noticeably perked, eyes lighting up in excitement. "Festivities? You guys are having a festival?!"

The Chief gave an amused nod. "Yes, it is time for our seasonal thanks to Mt. Konicte for the rich soil that allows our lives to be enriched by bountiful crops." His dark eyes twinkled, "Also, the village wished to express their thanks to you. The mountain is generous, but sometimes it must be tamed before it becomes destructive."

Natsu didn't really hear anything passed '**yes**'. "Awesome! Will there be fire food?!"

Lucy elbowed him in the ribs, sending him a look before giving a small, respectful bow of the head to the chief. "Thank you very much! We would be honored to stay for the festival!"

"Wonderful!" he said, and moments later Lucy was being led away and fussed over by a handful of women. The chief's hand landed heavily on his shoulder. "Come, Natsu of Fairy Tail! We must get you ready as well!"

A baffled "huh?" barely escaped his lips before he too was led into the village. An hour, and a flurry of elderly women cleaning, scrubbing, dressing and (if their tittering laughter was anything to go by) _gossiping_ over him, Natsu was mercifully released back into the world. His ash stained clothing had been replaced with a deep red tunic with sleeves that ended just above his elbows and had decretive trimming around the open collar to match the band of gold at the hem. The pants, blessedly similar to his own, matched.

He was tugged at the clothing, wishing the old crones would have just let him wear his own clothes, when he heard Happy's shout from above him.

"Natsu! I've been looking all over for you!" the Exceed called, his feathered wings bringing him to the dragon slayer before disappearing with a 'pop'. Immediately, the rose haired mage felt the feline's weight on his shoulder. "Where have you been?"

The dragon slayer glared at him, but the effect was ruined by the smile tugging at his lips. "I should be asking you that! You totally left me to the mercy of those grandmas you know!"

Happy gave a grin, completely unrepentant. "I was with Lucy and the other girls," he pouted, "but then everyone stopped paying attention to me and started fussing over clothes and girly stuff so I went to find you."

Natsu looked around, seeing no sign on his blonde partner. "She done yet?"

The blue Exceed shook his head, his whiskers ticking Natsu's cheek. "Not even close!" They shared a look and sighed. Women were so weird.

It wasn't until the sky had darkened and a large bonfire had been lit (courtesy of him of course) that she emerged with the rest of the women. She was dressed in what he guessed were the tribes traditional festive clothing and matched the other young women. Natsu could feel his cheeks flushing just looking at her. The crimson cloth didn't hide much. The full length skirt had slits running up either side, exposing her creamy legs with every move she made, and swath of red cloth that bound her breasts seemed to be solely held up by a intricately designed clasp of golden metal that encircled her neck. Her arms and torso were completely bare save the golden bangled bracelets that jangled on her wrists that matched the set on her ankles. Her hair, tied up in an series of loose braids that made Natsu dizzy just looking at it, left her neck and shoulders bare.

She was busy chattering with the other girls, but when she saw him she smiled and he gave a little wave back. Before either of them could even think of moving towards the other, Lucy was being dragged off to the other side of the village and Natsu shook his head and turned to Happy who was busy drooling over the prepared fish in front of him to notice anything else around him.

He sat across from the chief, folding his legs to sit on the generous floor cushion, and let himself be distracted by the massive amount of food in front of him. Saliva filled his mouth as he inhaled and basked in the delicious aroma. Let the women be weird, he thought to himself. It just meant more food for him!

It was some time later that the chief's rich timbered voice drew his attention away from his meal. "Ah, that Lucy or yours is a natural," he said, a hint of approval in his voice.

Natsu, having just taken a chunk out of his fourth turkey leg, paused to chew. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The old man smiled, his bushy white caterpillar brows raising in his amusement as he gestured to the bonfire that had been warming the dragon slayers back. "Take a look for yourself."

Sharing a bemused glance with Happy, Natsu obligingly looked over his shoulder. The women of the village were dancing around the fire, long skirts flickering like the flames themselves as their bare feet tamed the ground. Lucy was among them, still dressed in the traditional clothes they had given her, body swaying to the beat of the drums with the same unscripted grace as the fire itself. The golden jewelry they had accessorized her with reflected off her slender extremities and, combined with the sheen of sweat coating her exposed skin, made her glow with the fires warm light.

She was beautiful and warm, and everything else that was Lucy. Seeing her shouldn't have made his pulse jump and his hands sweat, but it did. He had always known that she possessed those traits - even he wasn't dense enough to ignore that Lucy was more than pretty - but somehow tonight was different. With the fire casting warm light across her skin and her honest laughter parting from her lips as freely as breathing, it was like she had become a part of the fire itself. She was more than just pretty. More than beautiful.

She was captivating.

"She is quite the woman, Natsu of Fairy Tail," the chief said, a smile in his voice. Natsu, mouth suddenly dry and eyes all but glued to his partner's form, nodded in agreence and the chief chuckled. "You should go dance with her."

Next to him, Happy (that little traitor) agreed, voice sly and so full of implication. "Yeah Natsu!" he sang, "I bet Lucy would looooove for you to dance with her!"

The dragon slayer could feel his cheeks flushing, still unable to tear his eyes away from her. He was about to decline - because there was no way he would ever be able to do her justice out there - when her eyes caught his and he swallowed the words down before they could even be born. He knew he should look away and at least _pretend_ that he wasn't staring at her, but his movements - his thoughts - were sluggish, and she had already caught him. Her movements paused and the other women continued their dance without her as her head tilted curiously as she regarded him. Soon a smile lit her face and (to Natsu's panic) she wasted no time walking towards them.

Look away. He should look away **right now**. But he was completely mesmerized by her. By her smile, by the way her body moved, and hey had her hips always swayed like that?

Suddenly she was in front of him, her hand outstretched and palm up in invitation. The smile she was giving him, so full of joy and warmth, did strange things to his resolve. "Come on Natsu! It's not like you to miss out on the fun!"

He swallowed, looking from her eager smile to her waiting palm and back. But how could he possibly deny her when she was looking at him like _that_? The moment his hand was in hers, she had him stumbling after her as she pulled him along. Her joyous laugh rang through him, and he could swear he could feel the sound ringing in his chest.

Briefly, he remembered when she had pulled him in for a dance at that ball - the one that turned from a mission to an engagement party for the girl whose name he couldn't bother remembering. She had grabbed him just like this and it had felt just as awkward as it did then but he at least had the security of memorized steps. Now, with their hands connected, Natsu realized that he had absolutely no clue what to do.

As if sensing his hesitation, Lucy took the lead and twirled in his arms, her voice rising above the heavy drums. "Just go with it Natsu!" Her eyes shone in the firelight. "You can't do it wrong!"

Awkwardly, he nodded, sending her out into another spin. With her smile encouraging him, he slowly grew braver - more sure - and soon they were both smiling and laughing. Their feet moved in rhythm with the drums heartbeat, their bodies twisting and spinning around each other with the bonfire acting as their center of gravity. Other than their connected hands, they barely touched until, feeling bold, Natsu's hands gripped her hips and lifted her into a spin. Her shriek of laughter was his reward and he basked in it. By the time the drums ceased, they had already escalated into a beat so fast that their limbs could barely keep up and they were both panting for breath with faces sore from the force of their smiles.

He had always thought she was a child of water. She was always nurtering, always kind; but for as much as she dreamed she never ignored the realities like he had the tendency to do. His passion burned while her empathy soothed. She thought her actions, her words, through with careful consideration where he rushed into everything with only instinct as his guide.

But this ... the way she moved, the way she laughed. It was like fire. He saw it in the way she threw her head back when she laughed, and how her eyes emulated possibilities instead of realities.

He didn't understand it. So he shrugged it off, let it float away from him like ashes in the breeze, and enjoyed the rest of the festivities.

That night his dreams were filled with her.

Her mouth hot and wet against his neck, her bare legs wrapped around his hips, and her encouraging moans filling his ears. He dreamt that they were both encircled by fire, heating their flesh and causing their sweat soaked limbs to slide against each other's. As her moans escalated into pleasured screams the flames grew higher and licked against their bare skin. It was only as his name left her kiss swollen lips and he saw the reflection of flickering flames in her eyes, that Natsu realized that the fire wasn't his, but **hers**.

And he was burning.

* * *

**AN:** I kinda agonized over this chapter. Possibly to the point where my edits did more harm than good. Sooooo, I'm just going to post it now so I can't fuss with it anymore. I've had that last scene written since deciding that this was going to be a chapter story instead of a one shot, so this has been with me way too long.

If you need some more NaLu fluff action feel free to take a look at my one shot "**_Whiskey Burning_**".

Thank you so much for the reviews, favs, and follows! I always look forward to reading your responses and seeing the favs/follows always gives me that extra boost of confidence to keep plugging away!

Looking forward to seeing your responses for this chapter! ;)


	5. Heat

_._

_._

_"You had a hold on me, right from the start_

_A grip so tight I couldnt tear it apart_

_My nerves all jumpin actin like a fool_

_Well your kisses they burn but your heart stays cool"_

_-Bruce Springstein "Fire"_

* * *

**(:)(A)(:)**

**Ignite**

**Chapter #5: Heat**

**(:)(A)(:)**

* * *

His stomach lurched painfully as the ship rolled over what must have been a particularly nasty wave and he groaned pitifully. Yesterday he would have told anyone who asked that there was nothing worse than being forced onto any kind of transportation, but he'd be eating his words now. Being on the water during a full fledged storm while his world was busy simultaneously crashing around him was way, way worse.

He was both physically and emotionally miserable.

Happy gave him a sympathetic pat. "Look on the bright side! At least we're already five hours in!"

After some (admittedly sluggish) math, Natsu groaned. He was beginning to feel a whole new round of cold sweats creeping on. "That means we have another seven hours ..." Uhg, just kill him now. Erza in full blown rage stage would actually be a really welcome sight right about now. She could just knock him out and just toss him off the boat when they got to shore. Then he wouldn't have to deal with the motion sickness _or_ the emotional baggage currently weighing him down.

Another rough jerking of the boat and Natsu found himself vomiting into the waste basket next to his cot. Again. By the end of the day he'd probably be reduced to dry heaving. As it was, the only thing that he was hurling now was stomach acid. That shit burned his throat on its way up, but he knew the pain in his gut would be worse once there was nothing left to upchuck. He moaned pitfully, collapsing back on his cot and huddling in the sheets until only his face peeked out. Stupid ship. Stupid motion sickness.

Stupid dream.

Happy's voice eased him from his thoughts. "Hey Natsu?" The dragon slayer grunted in response and the Exceed recognized it as a sign to continue. "Are you ok?"

He groaned, his eyes shutting and his body curling into itself as he fought off another wave of nausea. Happy had to be kidding. Did he _look_ like he was ok? "I'll be better once we get off this floating hell they call a ship." Physically at least ... he was going to have to figure out a whole other solution for his emotional torment.

"You've just been acting weird since we left the village..." Happy responded softly, the words tainted with an anxiety that wasn't normal for his carefree friend.

Natsu pried his eyes open, more than a little unnerved by his friends stare. "I have?"

Happy nodded. "Aye. You've been really quiet." His head tilted and his little nose scrunched in confusion. "And you're kinda ignoring Lucy and I don't get it."

Ignoring Lucy? He wished. It was hard enough just keeping his eyes away from her, let alone ignore her. Sure, he had been avoiding looking at her (which he supposed was what Happy was referring to) but only because seeing her made that stupid dream come to mind. Even when he wasn't watching, he was all too aware of her. Whether he wished it or not, his other senses seemed to focus on her to the point of obsession. He couldn't even take a breath without lingering on her scent and his ears were caught on even her softest sighs. He just about jumped out of his skin when she had accidentally brushed her shoulder against his while departing the village.

He hid a grimace, an anxious fluttering in his stomach that couldn't be blamed on the ocean alone.

There were only a few things that gave him that anxious, sweat inducing, panicky feeling. In fact, he could list them all on one hand: transportation, Lucy's wrath, Gildhart's super-crazy-make-you-shit-your-pants magic, and Erza...

Just Erza.

There were other things - like the fear of never finding Igneel or making Lucy cry - but those didn't make his hands clam up or his heart race. They were more like worries - things that made his heart feel heavy when he thought about them too much but didn't make him break out in a cold sweat.

That dream though ... that dream scared him more than everything else combined.

He had woken up drenched in sweat, heart pounding against the wall of his chest, and an obvious problem straining against the fabric of his pants. Immediately his eyes had sought Lucy from across the room and was relieved to see that both she and Happy were still asleep and mercifully oblivious as the world as he knew it crumbled around him.

He'd never had a dream like that, _**never**_. Quite frankly, he didn't ever want have another one like it again either, especially if it concerned his partner. The woman who he knew would probably shit a brick if she ever found out he'd had an erotic dream about her. Worse, she'd probably feel some bizarre need to treat him like all the other suiters she had turned down - still friendly but always just a little bit more distant. Like she was afraid of giving some kind of false hope or something.

Natsu didn't hold any delusions about the fact that him and Lucy were just friends (even if he did he would snuff them out quickly and efficiently). He just wasn't her type. He always overheard her squealing about how some guy or another was tall, dark, and handsome. Occasionally she met them at the library and she would gush to Levy about how they had such similar taste in books. Other times she daydreamed with the script mage about finding a handsome mage who was "considerate" and a "perfect gentleman".

Natsu knew he was none of those things. He was only average in height, his hair was _pink_, he hated reading, and books to him were really only worth their kindling. He knew damn well that there wasn't anything about him that even _whispered_ 'gentleman'. Considerate? Well, sometimes he _tried_ to be but he always seemed to get distracted.

Even if he ignored all of those facts, pretended that maybe the kind of guys she was attracted to weren't his complete opposite, he knew there was no way she saw him like that. He was sure of it.

When Lucy found someone desirable she was obvious about it. She flirted, batted her lashes and bestowed coy smiles to the guys she deemed as 'hot'. Sometimes he could even hear a difference in her voice - she would talk in a higher pitch with a tone that seemed sweeter and thicker than caramel and _giggle_ even when the loser's jokes sucked. There had been approximately zero incidents of her acting like that around him in the entire history of their partnership. No hair twirling, no flirtatious winks or amorous smiles, _nothing_.

Which was ok - _good_ even. Because doing something like _that_ with _**her**_ ... everything would change between them.

Natsu didn't want that. He didn't want things between them to turn awkward and strange _and different_. Which it _**would**_. He knew it would. That's what happened after people had sex. He saw it at the guild all the time. Elfman and Evergreen seemed to fight more than ever and Cana (even after spending weeks getting the poor bastards' attention) would be indifferent and totally drop the guys she slept with. Bisca and Alzack were, well, married so he guessed that kinda changed things automatically. But even Mira and Laxus had changed since they started humping each other like rabbits. They used to chat with each other on a fairly regular basis before, but now their only communication at the guild was through shared glances and (on Mira's end) secretive little smiles. They didn't seem to talk at _all_ anymore.

Natsu didn't want to stop talking to Lucy. He didn't want to stop doing _any_ of the things they did together. She was his best friend aside from Happy, and he refused to mess that up just because his body decided that now was a good time to hit puberty. He wished he had dreamt about someone else - _anyone_ else. Lucy was too special to him, too important, to want like that.

He wouldn't act on these new found urges. He **couldn't**. Not with her.

Then again, maybe that was part of the problem. Wasn't Macao always bitching about how the girls you wanted were always the ones out of reach or something like that? He'd have to evaluate that a bit more later. Maybe when Happy wasn't staring at him and he didn't feel like he was going to regurgitate a few of his organs.

He forced himself to grin despite his troubled thoughts. "Don't worry little buddy! I was just dreading the trip back is all," he lied, hoping that the excuse was good enough to convince the feline. Really, it wasn't that much of a stretch - had it not been for the panic he felt over that dream he was sure that the journey back to Magnolia _would_ have been at the forefront of his thoughts.

Happy nodded, a relieved little sigh passing his lips. "I guess Lucy was right then. I was scared you might be sick but she said if you were you'd be coughing and stuff."

He burrowed himself further into his sheets. The pillow and mattress smelled like old fish but the sheets were clean enough. "Dragons slayers don't get sick, remember?" he boasted weakly. It was true though ... he couldn't ever remember getting sick the way Lucy and the others did. No fever, no cough or runny nose. Well, other than that time he ate the Etherion, but he didn't think that should count.

"But you're sick now."

Natsu scowled. "That's different." Motion sickness was a whole other kind of monster. It wasn't the same at all.

His friend just giggled, patting his thigh in what was suppose to be a comforting gesture (Natsu just thought it seemed to just add insult to injury). "At least Lucy's here to take care of you! Erza would have just knocked you out!"

Natsu flinched, recognizing his friend's words to be nothing but the truth. The blonde had been rather accommodating. She had even bought a charm from the village before they left (unknown to him until they stepped into port) with her own jewel to help ease his motion sickness. The charm certainly helped - Mavis knows he wouldn't be having a conversation with Happy now without it - but it sure as hell didn't make it all go away either. Judging by the guilty grimace she had on her face before she left their temporary room, Natsu suspected she was probably feeling bad that the travel time was so long.

He should probably tell her that it wasn't her fault or something, but the way she was pampering him was kinda ... nice. Even though he was still miserable, he wasn't _as_ miserable as he would have been without her help. Lucy was a good friend. Like, really good. She was the best.

Which is why there was no way in hell he was going to let that dream fuck it all up.

The door to their cabin opened with a rusty groan from the metal hinges and Natsu managed to summon the energy to look up to see his partner walk in with a tray of food balancing on her hip. Her simple tank top and shorts were wrinkled and her expression was weary. Looked like even she was being affected by the rough waters. "Well, I got us some food. Tried to just grab anything that I thought might help your stomach at least a little ..."

Happy perked, his tail swaying and his bright eyes evaluated the food as she swung the door closed. "You brought fish right?"

She cringed, and Natsu thought she looked just a little nauseas at the thought. "Uh, no. Sorry, but this boat smells enough like rotten seafood as it is."

Huh. Good to know it wasn't only his nose that was being offended.

His eyes fell from her face to the tray in her hands. She really shouldn't have bothered. Nothing in the history of food even stood a chance of staying down when the (stupid) boat was rocking the way it was. Still, she looked so hopefully optimistic that he couldn't find the energy to completely shut her down, especially when she looked so guilty for putting him through all this misery (some of which she wasn't even aware of). Besides, his eye did spy one item on the tray that at least sounded somewhat appealing.

"Hand me the chocolate milk," he mumbled, his arm already untangling itself from the sheets in order to retrieve the carton. In the small room, it hovered between them expectantly.

She gave him an odd look, eyes darting from his miserable face to the carton of milk and back again. "Really? I would have thought milk would make your stomach worse - I really only grabbed it because of Happy."

The blue Exceed merely stared up at her. "Oh, Natsu likes it because it tastes like hot chocolate when it comes back up."

The dragon slayer ignored her disgusted look in favor for reaching for the bucket beside the bed (again). Once he felt like he could talk without spewing intestinal fluids all over his partner he murmured a weak, "what he said," into the metal bucket.

"That is ..." she shook her head, her complexion starting to take on a greenish tinge. "I really didn't need to hear that." She sent Happy an almost pained look that seemed borderline begging. "Keep that to yourself next time, ok Happy?"

Said cat saluted. "Aye aye Lucy!" he chimed enthusiastically, before hopping off the cot and padding over to the exit. "I'm going to go get some fish!"

Sighing, she opened the door for him. "Just don't bring it back here - eat it out in the kitchen. I wasn't kidding about the smell." The Exceed hummed his consent before leaping eagerly through the open doorway.

Lucy was just about to close it when his blue head popped back in and gave her a sly look. "You'll take _**real**_ good care of Natsu, won't you Lucy?"

Almost immediately, her cheeks pinked. "Get out of here you stupid cat!" she growled, slamming the door.

For a moment the two of them listened in awkward silence as Happy's tittering laughter faded. It took a good ten seconds before Natsu realized that being alone with Lucy probably wasn't the greatest thing for his sanity at the moment. Even when he didn't join in the conversation, the blue Exceed's presence created a sort of buffer for the dragon slayer's newly discovered hormones. What was it Wakaba always called it? A cock block? Yeah, one of those would be good thing to keep around for the unforeseeable future.

He cleared his throat, the silence in the room suddenly becoming too stifling. Plus, if she didn't say something soon he was going to end up ogling her chest (damn it, did she have to wear those skin tight tops?) despite the war raging in his stomach. "I don't get it."

He really didn't though. He could tell by Happy's drawn out tone and Lucy's blush that the cat had just implied something embarrassing but he couldn't for the life of him figure out how the blonde taking care of him was something either of them should feel flustered about.

Lucy groaned, plopping down on the cot across from him and holding her head in her propped hands. "Uhg, just ... forget about it."

Still curious, but not having the energy to push the matter, Natsu settled into a pout. " ... Can I still have the chocolate milk?" he asked weakly.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry." She placed the cool carton in his waiting palm before grabbing a roll from the tray for herself. Tearing off little pieces, she slowly picked at the bread in what Natsu knew was probably an attempt at calming her own stomach.

He sat up with a grunt and let the sheet slip off his shoulders and into his lap. As he opened up the carton and took a large swig of the chocolate flavored beverage he could feel Lucy's evaluating gaze. When he brought it away from his lips he met her eyes curiously. "What?"

"Is the charm helping?" she asked, nodding pointedly to the woven red yarn tied around his wrist.

Natsu held it up, his eyes tracing over the woven strands and lingering on the flame shaped emblem that he suspected was made from some sort of shell. He grinned at her. "Sure is. Thanks Luce."

She smiled back, bringing her knees up and hugging them against her chest. "I'm glad. It won't last forever, but the village healer said that it should at least last us until we get back home."

Damn, it had an expiration? That sucked! "Shoot, I would have bought a whole bunch if I knew that," he grumbled weakly. How many times had he been screwed over because a battle took place on transportation? And, sure, the charm wasn't even half as effective as Wendy's spell but it would certainly be a handy thing to have in case the youngest dragon slayer wasn't around.

Lucy scoffed lightly, "You would have used up all your reward money if you did."

He blinked in surprise. Exactly how much had that little charmed piece of yarn cost her? He opened his mouth to ask but before he even managed to utter a syllable the ship rocked violently and he bit back a groan. His stomach was twisting uncomfortably but he bit the back of his hand to stifle the nausea. After a moment it seemed to work, the pain in his hand distracting him from the bile churning in his stomach.

Lucy, apparently, wasn't so lucky.

She stumbled forward, reaching the little metal bin just in time to lose her meager meal. Natsu stared down at her in mild shock, because holy crap he wasn't the one puking his guts out this time around. When she remained there for a few moments longer than she needed to Natsu gently prodded her shoulder. "Luce? You ok?"

She moaned, her head lifting and giving him a glassy eyed look. "Hey Natsu?"

He swallowed thickly. Was it weird that he still thought she looked cute even though she was hovering over a bin full of vomit? He had a feeling that it probably was.

"I think we're going to need a bigger bucket."

Happy probably would have found her blunt assessment hilarious, but Natsu - well acquainted with this particular brand of misery - didn't find it so funny. He pat her on the back, very much like the way she always did for him when he dealt with his motion sickness on the train, and silently offered her the carton of milk with his other hand.

She grimaced, giving the container a disgusted (yet thoughtful) look, before taking it from him and chugging it down.

* * *

**AN:** Well, hopefully I didn't completely gross you all out on this one but, uh, the couple that pukes together stays together? Or something?

For those of you that don't feel like you're going to vomit (I wouldn't blame you FYI), here's an equally gross background fact for you. That chocolate milk bit? Totally inspired by my father. He dives for abalone but has a stomach made of jello and gets sick every time he goes out on the water. Chocolate milk is his solution.

Yummy.

Also, I have another NaLu one shot out titled _Love Bleeds The Color Red_ if your in the mood for something a bit heavier. Not even sure how the hell it came about but I'm actually a bit proud of it (funny how that always happens).

As always, thank you for your continued support! And please remember to drop me a line or two about what you thoughts on this chapter (I eat up reviews like Natsu eats fire food - hungrily)!

We have a conversation/lecture from Cana to Natsu coming up next so stay tuned! ;D


	6. Flame

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"_She was beautiful, but she was beautiful in the way a forest fire was beautiful: something to be admired from a distance, not up close." __― Terry Pratchett, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch_

* * *

**(:)(A)(:)**

**Ignite**

**Chapter #6: Flame**

**(:)(A)(:)**

* * *

He watched, entranced, as she ran water over her legs, her arms, her _chest_. It rolled over her skin in beads and shone like clustered jewels under the sun. His mouth was dry (also her fault) and all he could think about was how nice it would be to lick that tantalizing liquid off her skin. A bead of sweat escaped his scarf covered forehead and rolled down his neck before settling on his bare shoulders.

She was killing him.

Natsu Dragneel, Son of Igneel, and over all bad ass fire mage was going to die right there on that little piece of sandy beach all because some genius (seriously he didn't know whether to worship or praise the dude) thought that women's swimwear should be made up of nothing but triangular pieces of cloth and _string_.

She leaned back in the lounge chair, and Natsu watched from the corner of his eye as her hands disappeared behind her neck. A moment later the taut string securing her top loosened and she pushed them to the side. He swallowed thickly. Damn it, the only thing keeping those little triangular pieces from falling away and exposing her was gravity itself. Did she even realize that she was sacrificing his sanity for the sake of a few less tan lines? He was pretty sure she didn't. Even in all her vanity, Nastu didn't think she knew how alluring her body really was.

He'd never really noticed it before, but Lucy's body was different from the other girls. Her hips were fuller and her chest was (obviously) bigger, but it was more than that. Maybe it was because her magic wasn't as physical as the rest of their guild mates, but there was a softness to Lucy's body that Erza and the other girls seemed to lack. There was just a little bit more substance to her thighs, and a bit more flesh over her hips and ass. She was just so ...

_Inviting_.

Why did she have to look so damn good? It would be so much easier if she wasn't so irrefutably gorgeous. The past month had been hell for him because of it. Ever since that stupid dream he couldn't help but notice how tempting her body really was. During the day he was tortured by little fragmented images of what it might be like to kiss her lips, what kind of sound she would make if he licked her neck, and _hey_, wonder if her tits would taste different than the rest of her sun kissed skin?

Nights were even worse.

With nothing to distract him, his imagination was free to run rampant. Most nights he dreamed of her. Sometimes they were more innocent - the holding of her hand, the tangle of their lips. Unfortunately those seemed to be the minority. Most mornings he woke up sweating and with phantom moans bouncing in his ears. He'd been reduced to taking morning showers because of it. If Happy noticed his sudden change in routine (and his sudden tendency for long, drawn out showers) he wisely remained silent.

The weekend was suppose to be an opportunity for the entire guild to get out and relax for once but Natsu realized the moment Lucy stepped out in her bikini that the "relaxing weekend" was going to do more harm than good to his already frazzled nerves. He suspected that seeing her half naked and _wet_ was going to come back and haunt his dreams that night. Even though, Mavis knows, he really didn't need any more of _that_ kind of inspiration.

Sometimes he was convinced that he was the biggest fucking pervert and felt more than a little disgusted with himself. Of course, then Macao or Wakaba would open their mouths and the relief be immediate. He definitely wasn't on _their_ level. Or Master's for that matter ... now that he understood the happenings behind those leers he got why Lucy made a point to be extra careful with her skirt around the old geezer. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if the amount of time he spent (unwillingly) fantasizing about his partner could be considered normal.

More than once he'd been tempted to ask, but every time he shot it down immediately after. Most of the guys in the guild couldn't be trusted to keep their yap shut about it (for men they sure loved their fucking gossip). Gray could probably be trusted to keep it a secret if just to avoid it getting back to Lucy and imploding their whole team dynamic, but the amount of shit the ice mage would give him for it made the idea less than appealing. Same could probably be said for the iron dragon slayer.

All in all, Natsu figured it was best to just keep his dirty thoughts to himself.

He watched as Levy jogged up to Lucy's lounger, talking animately and gesturing to the volleyball net behind her. A moment later and the blonde was retying her bathing suit strings behind her neck and smiling as she followed her blue haired friend down the beach.

Natsu nearly groaned under his breath. "Why the hell did it have to be volleyball?" he grumbled. Why couldn't she play horseshoes or bean bag toss, or anything else that _wouldn't_ show off the delectable bounce of her breasts. He tore his eyes away, determined not to prolong his suffering any further, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he took notice of the brunette smirking down at him.

Fuck. Cana. Not good.

"Well, well, well. What do you know?" There was a sharp gleam to her mahogany eyes that set his brain into a scrambled frenzy. "You know, if you kept staring at her any longer I think you might have actually managed to catch that little bikini of hers on fire."

He sputtered uselessly. This was bad. Really, _really_ bad. He needed to say something - _**anything**_ - to get him the hell out and away from this conversation. "I - uh ..." Unfortunately his brain was completely stalling out and his tongue seemed more interested in tying itself in knots instead of helping him.

She chuckled, cocking an eyebrow while her smile turned downright sly. Natsu wondered if there was a demon hiding behind the face of Gildhart's daughter. "So, were you aiming for the top or the bottoms? Lucy's got one hell of a rack but her ass is pretty bangin' too, don't you think?"

Heat was spreading across his cheeks and beginning to travel down his neck. "I don't know what you're talking about!" he said shrilly, the words rushed and tumbling over themselves. Maybe if he just kept denying everything she would go away.

Unfortunately it seemed to have the opposite effect because the perpetual drunk took the opportunity to sit next to him, her legs crossed under her and one hand nursing a bottle of her precious beer. "Really? Let me fill you in. **You**," she gestured to him with the neck of her bottle, "have been staring at **her**," she moved the bottle so it that it pointed towards Lucy, "for the past half hour. At _least_."

Shit. Had he really been staring that long?

"I was, uh ..." Now would be a really good time to think of a good excuse. "Thinking." Yeah, ok, he could work with that. Nice and vague. And hey, it was technically true. "I guess I didn't realize I was staring." Ok, that was a lie. He _had_ known he was ogling her. He just hadn't realized he had been so painfully obvious about it.

Cana hummed, not sounding all that convinced. "Oh, you were thinking all right." She took a swig from her beer and sent him a wicked grin. "With your dick."

He choked, and Cana (that bitch) merely laughed and slapped his back hard enough that he almost found himself kissing the sand. He wheezed, trying to regain precious oxygen to his brain. "Wha-No! I _**wasn't**_-"

She gave her hand a flippant wave. "Please, don't even bother denying it." There was a level of understanding in her gaze that scared the dragon slayer senseless. "You looked like you were ready to march over there and plow her into the sand."

Actually, he had been busy being plagued with a fantasy about taking her up against that palm tree over there. But the idea of taking her from behind with her knees buried deep and anchored in the sand was another mouth watering image that was sure to haunt him until the end of for-fucking-ever.

Without thinking his eyes slid over to the blonde mage. She had her legs parted and her knees slightly bent as she braced herself for the ball to come over to her side of the net. When he heard Cana's knowing chuckle he reddened and hid his face between his knees. Damn it - just – _fuck!_ "Did anyone else notice?" His voice was muffled by his mortification.

She shrugged, tilting her beer back and finishing off the bottle in one last gulp. Natsu was surprised she hadn't just brought the whole damn keg with her. "Nah, they're too busy causing chaos like usual." She gave him a pointed look. "You're lucky Mira and Lisanna went to the spa though. They would have thrown you to the wolves for sure."

That ... was probably true actually. Mira would have probably thrown him some kind of twisted coming of age party the moment they stepped back into the guild. And Lisanna, as good of a friend as she was, would have probably been right on board. Worse, she'd probably go congratulate Lucy for being the one responsible...

Damn, that was a horrifying thought.

He lifted his face from his knees, ill placed hope fluttering in his chest as he gave the perpetual drunk his most pleading look. "So you won't say anything?"

She hummed thoughtfully, giving him an appraising look. "Tell you what. You listen to some advice from your big sis and I won't breathe a single word to anyone. How's that sound?"

Honestly? It sounded a little too good to be true. Especially seeing as it was coming from Cana. He loved the girl like a sister, but the perpetual drunk could be down right sadistic. That she would offer to give up this kind of blackmail material was more than suspicious. "What kind of advice?" he asked, skeptical.

She smiled conspiratorially. "Why, how to please your woman of course! You wanna make sure Lucy has a good time too right?"

His face flamed (seriously, he was surprised his head wasn't on fire). "_What_?! I don't - _**no**_!"

She shrugged, leaning her cheek on her knuckles and looking entirely too nonchalant. "You're either going to hear it from me or from the rest of the guild. Pick your poison."

He growled, his fists clenching. "Why do you even care!?" Seriously, he didn't need help with this - didn't _want_ help with this. Not the kind that Cana was suggesting anyway. He wanted to get rid of the fantasies, not encourage them. This 'advice' she was talking about was going to make his problem a million times worse.

For the first time in the entire conversation, Cana's expression turned serious. Whatever traces of teasing completely wiped from her face. "Because Lucy deserves the best experience possible." She gave him a pointed look, as if daring him to disagree. "And, face it Natsu, you're so clueless you need all the help you can get.

After a moment, his shoulders slumped. In some ways the brunette was right - Lucy _did_ deserve the best experience. She deserved the best of everything. The only part Cana didn't seem to get was that he had no control over it. She wasn't his. "It doesn't matter anyway," he muttered, looking out across the water. "I - we're not -" he growled, frustrated that he couldn't seem to put anything into words today. "We aren't like that."

"Yet."

"**Ever**," he said, with an accompanying glare that left no room for argument.

For a moment she stared back at him, unflinching, but then rolled her eyes with a sigh. "I swear, you Fairy Tail men are so melodramatic!" Her eyes flicked towards the far end of the beach where most of the group was gathered at a tiki themed bar. "I need another beer..."

Natsu didn't know what the hell 'melodramatic' meant but he figured it sounded like an insult. "I am not!"

She waved a hand flippantly. "Yeah, whatever. Look, I'll pretend to buy your bullshit, ok? Not going to happen with you and Lucy. Got it." She raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Doesn't mean you're not going to with some girl eventually, right?"

Natsu didn't answer because, really, there wasn't anything he _could_ say to that. Sure, he liked to think that someday he'd get to experience sex - he'd been fantasizing about it so much he'd be crazy _not_ to be curious.

Cana's grin screamed of victory. Natsu kinda wanted to punch her in the face just to get rid of it. "So are you going to listen to your big sis, or what?"

She wasn't going to leave him alone about it until he agreed. And, as much as he wanted to tell her to fuck off, giving her an excuse to gossip to the rest of the guild - to _Lucy_ - wasn't an option. He'd bury his own head in the sand before he let his partner find out about this. Still, forcing himself to say that one word that he just _knew_ was going to trigger a downward spiral of dirty thoughts was damn near the hardest thing he'd had to do.

_"__**Fine**__."_

Seriously, he would have willingly jumped on a freaking train if it meant being spared from the torture the drunk was sure to subject him to.

She draped an arm over his shoulders, grinning madly. "All right, first things first. Don't do that slow romantic crap, got it? You don't want to bore the poor girl."

Natsu wasn't really sure what the 'slow romantic crap' was, but he figured he wasn't really slow or romantic in general so he'd be safe. "Uh, sure."

She gave a nod of approval, her smirk turning devious. "Good. Now listen and learn ..."

The next fifteen minutes were officially the most mortifying, most _awkward_, in his entire life.

As he expected, Cana's 'advice' was making his problem a million times worse. How the hell was he suppose to ever look at Lucy again without wondering if teasing that one little spot between her legs would make her beg? Or if throwing her legs over his shoulders would turn her moans into screams? Or if using his mouth would really-

Wait.

He recoiled away from her, stuttering. "M-my _mouth_?!"

Cana winked. "You heard me."

Natsu kinda had mixed feelings about that. On one hand, the idea of kissing Lucy - _tasting_ Lucy - **there** made any remaining blood in his brain shoot south. On the other, he couldn't help but think of how his partner would throw fits whenever he so much as caught a glimpse into her underwear drawer. Wouldn't she feel too ... exposed doing that?

"Do girls ... really like that?" he asked, curiosity burning through his embarrassment.

"Ooh, yeah," she assured confidently. "Trust me."

He frowned thoughtfully, looking at his feet. "I don't think she'd let me ..."

"How do you know?" Her smile turned sly. "Being that we're talking about a hypothetical girl an all."

His ears burned. Truth was he couldn't imagine doing anything like that with anyone _but_ his blonde partner. Even when he consciously made an effort to replace her in his thoughts with some generic stranger, she always made her way back without his permission. He just couldn't get her out of his head.

When he didn't respond right away, her smile turned sly. "You know, a girl like Lucy? She'd probably be so turned on, she'd return the favor without you even asking."

Return the - she didn't mean... Cana smirked. Shit. She did mean - _fuck_. Lucy's mouth, soft and hot, wrapped around his -

He growled, shaking the image away before it could fully form. Not allowed. Notallowednotallowednotallowed. "Are we done?" he snapped. Please just be fucking done already. Mavis knew she'd already condemned him enough for the rest of his stupid life. Any more and he was pretty sure he might be better off letting Erza beat him bloody until he suffered from memory loss.

She rolled her eyes, removing her arm from his shoulders. "Geeze, who knew you'd be such a prude?"

His denial was immediate. "Am n-"

She slapped her hand over his mouth, none too gently. "Will you just shut up and listen?" she snapped. He retaliated by licking her palm but her nose only crinkled in disgust instead of pulling away. "Uhg, you're such a child. Listen, I only got one more thing to say and then I'll leave you alone. Believe it or not, I got better things to do with my time then spending all day schooling you in how to satisfy your not-lover."

He snorted. No doubt those 'better things' were going back to her keg and getting piss drunk on the beach. Still, he didn't really care what the hell she did as long as it didn't involve him, so (with an annoyed glare) he nodded.

She removed her hand, wiping the saliva on her palm onto his bicep with a sneer. "I don't even know why I bother. I should just let you make a fool out of yourself."

He growled warningly. "Cana ..."

The irritated eye roll she gave him was immediate. "Yeah, yeah. Last piece of advice. You know, in case you completely screw everything else up." Her frown softened, less annoyed and more thoughtful as she stood up and brushed the sand off the back of her thighs. Her chin tilted up until she was looking at nothing but sky. "Just ... pay attention. She'll show you what feels good and what doesn't."

Natsu paused, the tension in his shoulders loosening as he looked up to the woman he considered family, and mulled over her words with thoughtful consideration. It was the first an only piece of advice she had given that wasn't accompanied by a lewd smirk. Maybe that was why he almost felt like it was actually genuine and not just a jab to see how red his face could get. "Yeah," he mumbled, "Ok."

Raising her arms over her head, Cana stretched with a sigh. "Well, I'll leave you to it then." She gave him a meaningful look from the corner of her eye. "If you got any questions you know where to find me."

He nodded, even though he had no intention of taking her up on her offer. As she turned to leave he felt the sudden need to say something. "Hey Cana?" She paused, sparing him a glance. His cheeks flushed and he looked down at his crossed ankles. "Not that I'll ever, you know, use it. But, uh, thanks. I guess." Even if she had only done it to embarrass him, she had still took the time to actually give him some descent advice.

She smiled. For a moment it was soft, almost sincere, until the corners of her mouth tilted into something devious and all too familiar. "Yeah, yeah. Just make sure you do your sensei proud!"

The pink tinge to his cheeks deepened until he was sure his face was as red as his swim trunks. Why had he felt the need to thank her again? "Don't you have a keg to babysit?" he grumbled irritably.

She chuckled, her hand raised in farewell as she headed towards the unsuspecting bar. Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, her steps paused and called out to him over her shoulder. "Oh! And Natsu?" Her voice carried over their little section of beach and several heads turned their way to stare between the two of them curiously. "Don't forget - ladies first!"

Natsu frowned in confusion, well aware of the amount of all the eyes watching him. Ladies - oh. The heat that had only just faded from his cheeks came back with a vengeance. "Do you ever _shut up_?!" he snapped loudly. "Go drown in your beer already!

Her laughter rang clearly in the space between them and Natsu felt himself begin to shrink under the scrutiny of his fellow guild mates. A quick glance confirmed that Lucy's eyes was one of the many trained on him. Her head tilted curiously as she held the volleyball between her hands.

He was just about ready to bury himself a hole and crawl into it, when the loud screech of "Gray! Your trunks!" saved him. Almost immediately, everyone's gaze turned to the naked ice mage (who looked more annoyed than embarrassed at the development) and the red faced Juvia who looked ready to melt into a puddle of fan girl bliss.

For once, Natsu found himself grateful for his team mates stripping habit.

* * *

**AN:** Because, lets face it, guys don't just know these kinds of things on their own.

Well, this was suppose to be out last week but last Monday I lost nearly all my writing for this story - this chapter included. As such, part of me is satisfied with how this came out, but another (admittedly larger) part doesn't even want to look at it because I can't help but feel like the first version was so much better. I suspect rewriting the other chapters is going to have a similar result, so please, _please_ be patient with me when it comes to updates since I'm not ahead of the game like I was (I literally had 6 chapters written and nearly all the rest at least started).

If there is a silver lining to this tragic event, it's that the all the angst (I am ashamed to say I cried ... like, shoulder-shaking-please-let-me-just-drown-myself-in-chocolate-and-ice cream crying) has given birth to another NaLu chapter fic. If you want to read the product of my tears it is titled _"To the Flame"_ (title subject to change because I'm just not in love with it) and is going to be, er, different from what I usually do. Last week (you know, during my pity fest) I've written over 7k words for it, so needless to say that I'm a bit excited about it. Turns out a psychotic Lucy is pretty fun to write. Go take a look see if you're into that angst/fluff combo.

**ALSO!** I had a lovely conversation with Dark Shining Light (she writes some lovely NaLu fics - go check her out!) and we have both realized something rather tragic that I'd like to bring to everyone's attention.

(If you read my other story The Good Dog please ignore this since you've already heard my rant about it)

Go look at some of your favorite fics. Look at the amount of reviews and then look at the amount of favs and follows. Is it just me, or are there a whole lot of wonderful stories that have double (sometimes even more) favs/follows than actual reviews? Don't get me wrong - I appreciate the favs and follows myself, but at the end of the day most of us authors are posting our stories so we can get feed back. Those favs and follows? They just read as numbers. In a review I see a person. I LOVE seeing your guys' reactions to my chapters. If there was no review system ... well, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction at all. I'd be writing something original that I could at least have the chance of making some money for my efforts.

Reviews_ are_ a fanfic author's payment

I am guilty of not always reviewing, I know. It is something that I have been working at remedying. Especially with one shots. It is _so_ easy to enjoy a one shot and just move on because, hey, it's not like it's ever going to update. Sometimes, as readers, even us authors forget the time and effort it takes even for a short drabble. And they _do_ take effort. I know I probably spent a good five hours (at least) agonizing over_ Love Bleeds The Color Red_ even though it's less than a thousand words.

Writers are taking time out of their lives and taking little pieces of themselves (because lets face it, writing is a personal thing) and putting it out there in the form of a story. If other authors are anything like me then they are probably waiting eagerly for those little emails to come through with responses.

So lets start a movement - authors and readers alike. If you like a story enough to fav/follow then you should like it enough to take a few extra minutes to review at least once. Lets all try to be people instead of just a number.

End o' rant.

Note: please don't take this as me being a review whore (I mean, I _**am**_. But that's not why I'm posting this). If you can't manage to fully adopt this idea then I hope you'll at least make an effort in reviewing another author's works. We have so many wonderful budding writers out there that just need the encouragement to keep on writing. Please, _please_ give them that encouragement.

To the people who do review: Thank you. I want you to realize that if it were not your words of encouragement throughout the years that I wouldn't even be half the writer I am today - I mean that. I wouldn't be able to call myself a writer at all, if you all hadn't been there every step of the way to keep pushing me forward and I certainly wouldn't have been able to get through rewriting this chapter in two weeks if it weren't for being able to reread all of your wonderful encouragement to remind me that you guys are there patiently waiting. This chapter is for you guys!


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